Malzahn: AU must improve to beat Arkansas State

Gus Malzhan will face off against his most recent former team, Arkansas State, on Saturday. Source: WBRC video

AUBURN, AL (WBRC) -

Auburn's head coach Gus Malzahn said his team's 31-24 victory over Washington State was a big win, but they'll have to play even better this Saturday to beat his former team, Arkansas State.

Malzahn spoke to reporters on Tuesday, saying the season opener gave him the chance to see where Auburn is at as a team. He commented that he was proud of his guys for finding a way to win and overcoming adversity.

And although he said there's still "lots of work to do," Malzahn said most of the things he saw are correctable.

Looking ahead to their next game, Malzahn called Arkansas State "one of the hottest teams in college football" and noted their their nine game winning streak.

This Saturday, Malzahn will coach against his former team where he was the head coach for the 2012 season.

When asked how he'll handle coaching against former players, Malzahn said, "Personally, I care greatly for many of their players."

But Coach Malzahn made it clear where his loyalties will lie on Saturday.

"Professionally, you've got to flip the switch and once the game starts you do everything in your power to help your team win, and we'll definitely do that," he said.

"But to me, some of the things we do in our country, I grew up, they were unifying events and it’s a little painful to see that those things are not so right now. But I also respect everyone’s right not to be censored in terms of the way they express their beliefs."

"But to me, some of the things we do in our country, I grew up, they were unifying events and it’s a little painful to see that those things are not so right now. But I also respect everyone’s right not to be censored in terms of the way they express their beliefs."